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Brittney Levinson

Microsoft cancels Melbourne event as coronavirus spreads

The tech giant has cancelled the event due to predicted low attendance numbers.

Microsoft is the latest company to cancel a major event amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.

The tech giant has decided to cancel the Melbourne leg of its IoT in Action event series, which was due to take place at Sofitel Melbourne on Collins this Thursday, 5 March.

The news comes as the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases nears 90,000 worldwide and the deathtoll reaches more than 3,000, according to the latest figures by the World Health Organization. At time of publishing, Australia has reported 33 cases of COVID-19.

“We are canceling this event because many of our customer[s] and partners are no longer able to attend, and us continuing to hold the event would no longer meet our business goals,” the email statement read.

Microsoft has also cancelled IoT in Action events in Osaka, Japan and Beijing, China.

The news follows other major event changes or cancellations Australia, including CISCO Live and Salesforce World Tour Sydney, which has been changed from a physical event to an online experience.

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